First Telescope

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 1:14 pm

Thanks again Guys for the info.
Found this for sale on IFAS
http://www.irishastronomy.org/cms/forum ... 7&id=87401
What do ye think?

Frank Ryan · Post by **Frank Ryan** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 2:27 pm

it's a good price for what it is but that mod
is to make it a long exposure cam for deep sky objects not very suitable for planets/ lunar which is really what those webcams are best suited for.
I'll post up the link to the guy on eBay
he'll sell you the spc900 with eyepiece adapter and IR filter all fitted for the same.

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:16 pm

Great, thanks Frank!

Frank Ryan · Post by **Frank Ryan** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:14 pm

Hi Tom,
here is that guy on ebay that sells the package.
It looks as if hes out at the moment but he's sold 10 before and
looks like he'd have a few more coming up.

The full package (Cam, Adapter, Filter & software) inc postage
works out at about 77 Euro which is for nothing really since I paid
80 euro for the cam alone 4 years ago and that was the cheapest I could
find!

Another good point is that all the software you'll need to capture the images from the cam is included.
(the origional software is not suitable so this guy provides what's needed)
The other essential is Registax
http://www.astronomie.be/registax/
this is the processing prog to pull the final image from the AVI.
It's free also and easy to use - a good few of us in the club use it so
your head won't be too wrecked trying to learn how to use all this stuff alone!

One more thing - the other essential is the laptop or netbook.
I'm hoping Santa is bringing me my new netbook because
A - I've ruined 2 laptops imaging out in the cold &
B - they work brilliantly for capture and have savage battery life in the cold.

Oh and one last thing...
You'll be doing yourself a huge favour getting this DVD from the Master:
http://www.damianpeach.com/dvd.htm
It's well worth it!

Anyhoo... It's a long fun road...
Best of luck with it!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RKmbQ%253D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VI ... 0519579619

Philips SPC900NC ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WEBCAM + ASTRO IMAGING SOFTWARE + OPTIMISED COLOUR OPTION

This Philips SPC900/800 web-cam is the ULTIMATE CCD consumer webcam for use in Astrophotography. This is due to high dynamic range of it's proven SONY ICX098QB CCD. As a webcam, it can capture in total darkness - so you can imagine it will be very effective as a CCD in astrophotography.

It has a proven track record amongst amateur astronomers who can't afford to spend megabucks on a dedicated astro CCD!

You'll be amazed by it's ability to capture high quality detailed images of the Moon and Planets - using the ASTRO IMAGING SOFTWARE I supply (unlike other sellers). You can also use it for photographing deep sky objects such as Galaxies - with a modification - I can supply you with details.

Guaranteed compatibility with Windows 7, Vista & XP - unlike some of the 880 models on ebay.
***I CAN NOW OFFER THE OPTIMISED COLOUR FIRMWARE IF REQUESTED: there are reports it can give better results in some situations - such as a wider colour range and less artefacts, but these are subjective! If you want this - let me know.

Supplied as an OEM version (de-branded) with CD software suite containing drivers (XP, WIN 7, VISTA), manuals and most importantly, the imaging software you will need to use this amazing piece of kit to get great results. I will of course give you a Quick Start Guide so you know what your doing within 5 mins and be here to answer any question and provide any support if needed!

See the pictures?? these are taken with this webcam - AMAZING right?...especially at this price - better than DSLR for planets and moon captures without a doubt - you'll be snapping away Jupiter, Saturn & Lunar landscapes in no time.

***You will need an adaptor to use this with your scope***
This simply screws in to the front of the webcam. On request, I can supply and fit this for an extra Â£13. (1, 1/4 inch) or they are available on ebay.

I can also supply an IR filter to give improved capture - this will be an extra Â£16. (You can use it without, but this filter blocks the Infra-red spectrum of light that may affect your captures, again it is subjective).

If you want these extras, I can add these onto your invoice depending on stock levels....so you can have the ULTIMATE Astrophotography set-up. Please contact me if you want the accessories.

- Grab one before they sell out -
A COMPLETE SOLUTION INCLUDING TUTORIAL WALKTHROGH GUIDE, IMAGING SOFTWARE, CHOICE OF FIRMWARE, OPTION FOR ADAPTOR AND IR FILTER & FULL WINDOWS COMPATABILITY.

ASTRO WBCAM SPECS:

Sensor: SONY ICX098QB CCD
Interface Type: USB 2.0
Still Image Capture Resolution: 1280 x 960
Video Capture Resolution: 640 x 480
Digital Video Capture Speed: 30 frames per second
Audio Support: Built In Microphone
Interpolated snapshot res.: 1.3 MP
Max. frame rate: 90 fps
White balance: 2600 — 7600 k
Min. illuminance : less than 1 lux
Colour depth: 24 bit

Thanks for looking !

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:29 pm

WOW, Thanks again for sharing.
I'm currently bidding on a Cam,Adapter and filter on ebay at the moment, so fingers crossed!

Dave Lillis · Post by **Dave Lillis** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:08 pm

Hey Tom,
When you get yourself up and running, have a look at the tutorial I put together for running registax, its enough to get you going with it.
Cor Beverotts himself give a tutorial at the WSP a few years back on it, so thats where most of it came from, he wrote the program so he oughta know how to run it best.

http://www.irishastronomy.org/cms/forum ... 9&id=39009

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:21 pm

Thanks Dave,
I won the auction on the cam so I'm just awaiting delivery.
I'll give the registax tutorial a shot as soon as I get my hands on the cam!

Dave Lillis · Post by **Dave Lillis** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:08 am

Hey Tom,
Did you go for that meade eyepiece, I cant find that review i read on cloudynights a while back about the QA issues, the ones now on cloudynights have quiet favourable reviews.
http://www.cloudynights.com/category.ph ... pr=2x7[/u]

Dave.

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:44 am

Hi Dave
I didnt purchase it. Took your advise and started looking for a nagler. The guy has dropped the price on the meade SWA, worth a punt?

Dave Lillis · Post by **Dave Lillis** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:03 am

Tom,
no 2 ways about it, the nagler is a better eyepiece, BUT its alot more expensive.

stall the ball, just seen that this eyepiece is a swa, not the uwa, so this eyepiece is more like a panoptic eyepiece field of view wise, 68 degrees, not 82.
not the eyepiece I thought it was (defects in the edge of field of view wise, wouldnt touch a s5000 uwa), so yea, its a good price so if youre happy with the 68 degree fov.
The panoptic(68degree)/nagler(82degree)/ethos(100degree) naming can be confusing, theyre all by a company called televue, the head designers name is Alan Nagler. IF you want the best, get the ethos eyepieces, theyre extremely expensive, but hey, isnt everything that's good in this hobby.

I just finished building a set of naglers when the ethos's came out, I'm not going through that pain again.
IF youre lucky enough to be able to get the ethos types, then you should also consider these aswell.
http://www.explorescientific.com/eyepie ... _20mm.html
I had the luck to use 2 18mm ethos eyepieces using a top end binoviewer on a 36 inch scope a few years back, and OMG, they're fantastic.

Dave

Dave Lillis · Post by **Dave Lillis** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:51 pm

stall the ball,
have a look at
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/de ... _id=718515
a fair bit cheaper, what happened to you interms of your recent purchase in unusual, i never had to wait more then 2 or 3 weeks,

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:07 pm

Thanks for the heads up Dave!
I've made contact with the seller, fingers crossed!

John O'Mahony · Post by **John O'Mahony** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:39 pm

Tom

The Televue eyepieces are wonderful but a bit expensive.If you can afford them go for it even if you only get one at a time. I started with Meade plossols and then baader hyperions. I am now selling the baaders to pay for the Naglers.
I have 9mm and 16mm Naglers and a 27mm Panoptic which I use with my C11 and I will never part with them. The latest Naglers type 5/ 6 are quite light compared to their older versions so don't require any rebalancing of the scope except for the longer focal lengths >17mm).
The Ethos eyepieces are lovely but they are big and heavy and better suited to big dobs. They are also about the price of a 10-12" dob.

Tom Walsh · Post by **Tom Walsh** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:14 pm

Hi John
Thanks for the info. Thank god for astromart or I'd be bankrupt!

Dave Lillis · Post by **Dave Lillis** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:43 pm

yip,
Half the gear I've got is from astromart, and like you, alot of money was saved,
Just make sure you get a shipping quote before from the seller before agreeing to anything.

and I dont mean to come across like a preaching rep from televue when it comes to the eyepeices.